If you're a
political junkie or even someone with just a passing affinity for the sport,
this year was a goldmine. It featured several
terrific campaigns at every level of government and included some truly
virtuoso performances.

Whittling to
our top five was not an easy feat, so we've thrown in a few honorable mentions
for good measure.

5. Don Guardian

The newly elected Atlantic City mayor knocked
off a Democratic incumbent in a city that has not elected a Republican in
nearly 25 years. By taking out Lorenzo
Langford, who was at odds with leaders of both parties, Guardian vowed to
repair relations with the administration and he's already working to do just
that. Days after he was elected,
Guardian traveled to Trenton to meet with Gov. Chris Christie and Senate
President Steve Sweeney.

4. Sam Fiocchi

The new District 1 Assemblyman was one of only two legislative candidates this year to
knock off a sitting incumbent. In this
district, Fiocchi and campaign consultant Chris Russell capitalized on Nelson Albano's
difficulties with the state police and hammered it home throughout the
campaign. Fiocchi overcame a huge win by
popular Democratic state Sen. Jeff Van Drew in the district to take one for the
GOP.

3. Steve Lonegan

Underfunded
and carrying far less star power than his opponent, Lonegan nevertheless ran a
credible campaign as the Republican U.S. Senate nominee. Lonegan did what other underdogs find so
challenging: He created buzz. Faced with a Hollywood fundraising swing by opponent Cory Booker, Lonegan held a faux red carpet event in
Newark to highlight Booker's absence from the city he governed. Faced with a
slow news day, Lonegan invited reporters to his house to answer any question
they could ask. In the end he lost by a closer-than-expected 11 points.

2. Linda Greenstein

Gov. Chris Christie
won the Middlesex County portion of Greenstein's District 14 by 28-points and
the Democratic incumbent state senator overcame that obstacle to carry both
Mercer and Middlesex counties and fight vote for vote to a virtual draw against
former state Sen. Peter Inverso in his hometown of Hamilton where he is a
legend. Greenstein overcame the toughest
challenger of any incumbent this year in Inverso who was vying for a comeback attempt.

1. Chris Christie

The governor
ran a nearly flawless campaign that culminated with a 22 point drubbing of his
Democratic opponent. The governor's team
made few if any wrong moves in creating an air of inevitability around Christie's
re-election. By rolling out endorsement
after endorsement from Democrats and trade unions, Christie's camp kept
Democrat Barbara Buono off balance throughout.
The waves of Democratic endorsements also served to choke off Buono's
fundraising early as donors questioned the wisdom of backing an obviously
hobbled horse. As Christie prepares for
a presidential bid, the team that choreographed this victory will be among his
greatest strengths.

Honorable Mention: Steve Fulop

Fulop
knocked off incumbent Jerry Healy in a testy Jersey City mayoral race that seemed
to feature as many lawsuits as it did candidate debates. Fulop had been preparing for the race for
years and won a convincing victory despite an endorsement for Healy by none
other than President Obama. The race
also featured one of the truly great political stories when Healy recounted a
2004 tale about a naked photograph taken of him while standing on his front porch. Suffice it to say the story changed from the
first telling, but more importantly, if you're explaining to voters why you
were naked on your front porch, you know you're in trouble.

Honorable Mention:
John Lanza and Suzanne Lagay

The two
Hunterdon County Republicans ran off the line in their bid for two
freeholder seats and won, a rare feat in politics. Along the way they snagged some influential
endorsements from officials who believed enough in them to put their necks on
the line.